A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Armstrong, Karen)

by Karen Armstrong

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1,916 ratings, 3.84 average rating, 347 reviews (more data...)

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2		5%
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published

2004 (first published 1993) by Gramercy

binding

Hardcover, 496 pages

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0517223120 (isbn13: 9780517223123)

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Armstrong, a British journalist and former nun, guides us along one of the most elusive and fascinating quests of all time--the search for God. Like a...more

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12/19/07

Leslie rated it:

Read in January, 2008

Whew. I thought I'd never finish this book. But two months later, I somehow managed to get to the end. Now, what to say about it?

I started this book knowing a moderate amount about the history of Christianity, a small amount about Judaism, and much too little about Islam. I relied heavily on my previous knowledge of Christianity and Judaism to make sense of Armstrong's extremely dense, often repetitive, and (to use her favorite word) esoteric prose. I found it a real challenge to kee...more Whew. I thought I'd never finish this book. But two months later, I somehow managed to get to the end. Now, what to say about it?

I started this book knowing a moderate amount about the history of Christianity, a small amount about Judaism, and much too little about Islam. I relied heavily on my previous knowledge of Christianity and Judaism to make sense of Armstrong's extremely dense, often repetitive, and (to use her favorite word) esoteric prose. I found it a real challenge to keep up with her train of thought; her chapters are very long (as well as her paragraphs) and she has no sections or headings whatsoever to help prime and guide the reader. I came away with a much fuller understanding about the evolution of the concept of God in Christianity and Judaism, and a somewhat better understanding of the origins of Islam. But not knowing much about Islam to begin with, I felt at a disadvantage as I tried to follow along and take in the massive amounts of information she shares. This is not the right book to introduce you to any of these religions. You will gain much more if you already have a moderate level of knowledge.

On a personal note, as I am someone for whom religion (organized or otherwise) has played very little role in my life for close to ten years, this book sparked a great deal of introspective processes for me. Some of her writing confirmed my frustrations with organized religions while other portions encouraged me to have a more open mind about the innumerable ways to conceive of and worship God. I have appreciated this book immensely in this regard.

A final note: Armstrong seems to have considerable beef with Christianity, and to an extent Judaism, and she considerably elevates Islam above the other two. Just a note to be prepared for that if you read this book. It didn't bother me too much given that I don't consider myself a member of any of the three faiths or prefer one over the other, but I can see how it might really annoy others. It's not an attempt to be objective or balanced, by any stretch. (less)

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07/27/07

April Sheridan added it (review of isbn 0345384563)

I still can't decide if it's good or not. That's that problem with being kinda dumb.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

1 comment

08/02/08

Palsay rated it:

(review of other edition)

bookshelves: history, phenomenal

Read in August, 2008

Buku ini memang tebal, hardcover pinjaman neng Erry. Ternyata benar kata broda Graha, meski tebal (dan gada gambarnya ;)), namun tidak membosankan untuk dibaca.

Dalam buku ini, Ms. Armstrong menitik beratkan pada tiga agama samawi di dunia, dengan sedikit meyinggung Buddha, Hindu dan kepercayaan lainnya. Dengan merujuk pada para Tokoh filsafat dan religi dari masa kebudayaan Pagan hingga agama modern, Ms. Armstrong secara sabar menuntun pembaca untuk menemukan benang merah pada ketiga...more

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23 comments

02/23/08

John rated it:

bookshelves: religion

Read in February, 2008

This is one of those books that make me feel woefully deficient in a certain subject. Having never taken a comparative religion class, and in fact bordering on an antiestablishment stance when it comes to organized religion, I can only conclude that this book was not the place to start.
The first couple of chapters which reviewed mankinds evolution from a polythesim to the monothesims of Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam were interesting, and for me blessedly linear and understand...more This is one of those books that make me feel woefully deficient in a certain subject. Having never taken a comparative religion class, and in fact bordering on an antiestablishment stance when it comes to organized religion, I can only conclude that this book was not the place to start.
The first couple of chapters which reviewed mankinds evolution from a polythesim to the monothesims of Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam were interesting, and for me blessedly linear and understandable. From there things rapidly deteriorated as Armstrong ran through the impact and thought process that philosophy, mysticism, reform and enlightenment had on the three monothestic faiths.
These chapters were filled with dense pondorous examples of each of these disciplines, crammed wtih foreign names and terms, forcing me to reread pages and chapters, still without making much headway.
I hate to indulge myself this way, but to illustrate my point I quote from page 270 a part of a paragraph which starts, "Luria gave a new meaning to the original image of the exile of the Shekinah. It will be recalled that in the Talmud, the Rabbis had seen the Shekinah voluntarily going into exile with the Jews after the destruction of the Temple. The Zohar had identified the Shekinah with the last sefirah and made it the female aspect of divinity. In Luria's myth, the Shekinah fell with the other sefiroth when the Vessels were shattered." Granted, it is taken out of context, but it borders on reading a foreign language.
And it goes on...Further compounding the problem are a lack of any headings on subgroupings in Armstrong's chapters, which are composed of paragraphs that run nearly a page long each.
It is this amount of dense detail that continually makes rereading a necessity, rather than a luxury. I was tempted on multiple occasions to put this book down, and finished with a sense that I had read line for line the entire 2008 federal IRS tax code. Overall, not the place to start.(less)

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01/03/09

Camille rated it:

bookshelves: religion

Read in January, 2009

If I could give a book six stars, I would give them to this book. I feel like I learned something new on nearly every page.

This book is truly a history book on a grand scale. It reminds me of the type of history Will Durrant wrote, where he would take a period of time and write extensively about all the facets of history within that time. Armstrong, on the other hand, takes just one facet of history and writes extensively about it over a long (4000 year) period of time. Reading it...more

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03/05/08

Barry rated it:

bookshelves: spirituality-religious-history

This book by Karen Armstrong covers the development of the world's three major monotheistic faiths. Although I am incredibly interested in the subject, this book was a tough read for me. It is very dense with information and I probably ended up skimming the text more than I should have. I'll most likely end up re-reading it some time down the road to gain a greater appreciation of the subject.

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05/20/08

Joseph rated it:

(review of isbn 0345384563)

Read in July, 2008

tough read esp the middle part

but basically liked the end because:

(1) for believers - you'll see how the conception of GOD changes through time and it's sort of inevitable ( however real GOD is and can be). We fit GOD into our needs

(2) for atheists - that even at the end of the day when you remove GOD from your life, you'll end up filling that emptiness with sth else. Basically you still need that spiritual stuff there in your brain (whatever you call it)
...more

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03/18/09

Yugaljoshi rated it:

Read in March, 2009

After finishing this book I read the back cover saying "the book is sort of a miracle". And for once I would agree to this back cover. Not because the book is unbiased or has some other traits but by the sheer brilliance of the author to have covered these 3 vast religions in a 400 pager. The amount of text generated on Judaism, Islam and Christianity is phenomenal and to compress and make a juice of it in such a short form is nothing short of miracle. I did not had much knowledge of t...more

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06/14/09

Ryan rated it:

One of the most informative, relevant, and fascinating books I've ever read. It was by no means an easy read. But for the amount of education you get out of it, the read is well worth it.

The author traces the history of monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and shows not only their interconnectedness, but also their literal unity. The detail in the exploration of the history of monotheism was indeed comprehensive - but also appropriate as it shows how religion has developed fro...more

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05/17/09

M Mushthafa rated it:

(review of other edition)

Read in August, 2001

URL: http://rindupulang.blogspot.com/2001/07/...

Tuhan yang Menyejarah

Diskusi tentang Tuhan termasuk dalam kategori problem abadi yang tak kunjung mencapai titik final. Setiap zaman, bahkan sejak 4000 tahun yang lalu, manusia sebagai homo sapiens merekonstruksi konsep-konsep tentang Tuhannya. Tak jarang, bertolak dari konsepsi mereka terhadap Tuhan, lahir gerakan-gerakan sosial yang bersifat liberatif atau bahkan juga muncul tindakan “anarkis” demi menegakkan citr...more URL: http://rindupulang.blogspot.com/2001/07/...

Tuhan yang Menyejarah

Diskusi tentang Tuhan termasuk dalam kategori problem abadi yang tak kunjung mencapai titik final. Setiap zaman, bahkan sejak 4000 tahun yang lalu, manusia sebagai homo sapiens merekonstruksi konsep-konsep tentang Tuhannya. Tak jarang, bertolak dari konsepsi mereka terhadap Tuhan, lahir gerakan-gerakan sosial yang bersifat liberatif atau bahkan juga muncul tindakan “anarkis” demi menegakkan citra Tuhan yang mereka yakini.
Buku ini memerikan suatu peringatan dan pesan yang cukup jelas, bahwa kita semestinya tidak bersikap ahistoris terhadap konsep Tuhan yang berusaha dikenali manusia itu, bahwa ternyata sepanjang sejarah manusia nyaris memiliki konsepsi tentang Tuhan yang begitu beragam—bahkan dalam suatu periode. Buku ini secara cukup utuh menelaah pertumbuhan karakter tiga agama besar—Yahudi, Kristen, dan Islam—dalam mengkonsepsikan Tuhan dalam terang perspektif historis-sosiologis.
Ziarah intelektual yang dilakukan dalam buku ini sebenarnya bermula dari kekecewaan penulisnya, Karen Armstrong, setelah menyadari bahwa ajaran-ajaran agama yang dipelajarinya selama tujuh tahun menjadi biarawati Katolik Roma adalah hasil dari suatu konstruksi historis yang tentu saja bersifat subjektif. Kebenaran-kebenaran agama yang dikhotbahkan itu melewati proses subjektivikasi dan karena itu tidak dapat lepas dari konteks historis-sosiologis. Ini berarti gagasan manusia tentang Tuhan memiliki sejarah yang berbeda-beda antar-generasi, sehingga tidak aneh bila kadang konsepsi ketuhanan suatu generasi akan dipandang tidak cocok bagi generasi berikutnya.
Buku bagus yang terdiri dari sebelas bab ini memulai uraiannya dengan beberapa teori dan pemikiran tentang munculnya gagasan tentang Tuhan. Dengan mengutip beberapa pemikir terkemuka seperti Mircea Eliade, Wilhelm Schmidt atau Rudolf Otto, terungkap bahwa ternyata manusia memang cenderung memiliki kepercayaan terhadap yang gaib yang merupakan dasar dari setiap agama. Kepercayaan terhadap dewa misalnya merupakan contoh dari monoteisme primitif yang mempercayai adanya “Tuhan” yang menciptakan dan mengatur urusan dunia.
Semua konsepsi tentang Tuhan yang dikemukakan dari zaman ke zaman atau dari kelompok yang berbeda—mistikus, teolog, filsuf, saintis, dan sebagainya—terbukti tidak sepenuhnya harus rasional, logis, dan ilmiah. Hal ini semakin menegaskan bahwa sebenarnya setiap gagasan tentang Tuhan sebenarnya tidak sakral, karena ia mesti melibatkan penafsiran manusia. Ada semacam sisi pragmatis dari konsep tentang Tuhan, yakni asal ia bisa diterima oleh masyarakat. Muhammad misalnya, Nabi kaum muslim bertolak dari sebuah konsep dakwah yang pada awalnya cukup sederhana. Dia tidak berpikir bahwa dirinya tengah membangun sebuah agama universal (konsep Tuhan yang universal), melainkan justru menggunakan keyakinan kuno masyarakat Arab yang mengajarkan keesaan Tuhan kepada orang-orang Quraisy.
Kemudian, dalam perkembangannya, pada sekitar abad ke-17, mulai muncul gagasan-gagasan tentang ateisme. Diam-diam, beberapa kelompok mulai berniat menyingkirkan Tuhan dari kehidupan manusia. Periode ini tidak hanya spesifik dialami masyarakat Barat (Yahudi dan Kristen), tapi juga dialami kaum Muslim. Armstrong dalam buku ini memberikan suatu paparan menarik bahwa pada dasarnya ateisme itu muncul akibat ketidakcukupan konsepsi tentang Tuhan dalam mengikuti gerak roda zaman. Atau, bisa jadi ateisme ini muncul akibat merebaknya tindakan-tindakan mengerikan (pembunuhan, perang, dan sebagainya) yang dilakukan atas nama Tuhan.
Saat ini, memasuki milenium ketiga, konsepsi umat manusia tentang Tuhan dihadapkan dengan berbagai pemikiran semisal sekularisme atau spirit humanisme yang ingin menggantikan agama. Buku ini mengajak kita untuk menyegarkan kembali keberimanan kita dan pemahaman serta penghayatan kita terhadap Tuhan, menuju suatu kesadaran bahwa “sosok” Tuhan itu ternyata dapat ditangkap dengan spektrum yang amat luas. Buku ini menggelitik kita untuk melahirkan semangat dan gairah keimanan baru yang bermakna bagi masa depan manusia, agar iman kita itu tidak justru melukai nilai-nilai kemanusiaan.
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04/11/09

Eric_W rated it:

bookshelves: history

Read in January, 2004

I know I'm an atheist and all, but I still enjoy Armstrong. Wrote this review several years ago:

Rarely does one come across a book that is recognized as erudite, essential, and readable simultaneously. Karen Armstrong's The History of God has brilliantly analyzed the rise of fundamentalism as a reaction to the emphasis on logos of the Enlightenment as opposed to mythos that had been essential to one's view of the world. "The economic changes over the last four hundred years hav...more I know I'm an atheist and all, but I still enjoy Armstrong. Wrote this review several years ago:

Rarely does one come across a book that is recognized as erudite, essential, and readable simultaneously. Karen Armstrong's The History of God has brilliantly analyzed the rise of fundamentalism as a reaction to the emphasis on logos of the Enlightenment as opposed to mythos that had been essential to one's view of the world. "The economic changes over the last four hundred years have been accompanied by immense social, political, and intellectual revolutions, with the development of an entirely different, scientific and rational, concept of the nature of truth; and once again, a radical religious change has become necessary." As science and technology began to become associated with such visible successes in overcoming disease and social ills, the tendency was to believe that logos (rational, scientific thinking related exactly to facts and external realities) was the only “means to truth and began to discount mythos [that which is timeless and constant, “looking back to the origins of life . . to the deepest levels of the human mind . . . unconcerned with practical matters” and rooted in the unconscious, that which helps us through the day, mythological stories not intended to be literal, but conveying truth:] as false and superstitious.” The temptation is to think of mythos as meaning myth. Inj this context that would be incorrect. Armstrong uses this word as it relates to mystery and mysticism, rooted ultimately in traditional biblical and Islamic history “which gives meaning to life, but cannot be explained in rational terms.”Logos, however, was unable to assuage pain and suffering leading to a vacuum the fundamentalists sought to revive. The danger unseen by modern fundamentalists is that they have tried to imbue mythos with an element of literalism essential to logos. The difference between these two concepts forms the basis for the battle between modernism and fundamentalism.

She traces the beginning of the fundamentalist movement back to the time of Columbus when a crisis occurred in Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella expelled both Muslims and Jews from Spain. The three religious groups had actually coexisted quite happily and profitably together for several centuries, but the prospect of modernity and threats from a new world view, science, threatened age-old traditions and myths. The fundamentalist movement was an attempt by traditionalists to retain a sectarian view of the world.

For many of these people the world can be divided into two camps: good and evil and those forces that are not allied with their own narrow view of the world are labeled as evil. That these believes are rooted in fear does not lessen their impact or importance to the faithful. Often an arrogance and condescension – I plead guilty here – make secularists insensitive to those who feel their religious beliefs have been undermined and challenged. The seemingly irreconcilable difference between rationalism and mysticism perhaps make militant fundamentalism inevitable. The danger for fundamentalist lies in their attempts to turn mythos into logos, e.g., have sacred texts be read literally and inerrantly as one would read a scientific text. That may lead to inevitable discrepancies between observation and belief that may hasten the defeat of religion.

Of great benefit, is Armstrong's clear explanation of the differences and conflicts that exist in Islam. Shiite and Sunni branches represent very different interpretations of a major faith.

The eventual outcome of the dichotomy of secular versus sectarian remains unknown. What is apparent is that fundamentalism cannot tolerate pluralism or democracy and compromise seems unlikely. The author identifies two major threads in the development of fundamentalism: (a) fear of the modern world and (b) that the response to fear is to try to create an alternative society by preaching "an ideology of exclusion, hatred, and even violence." She warns at the end of the book, "If fundamentalists must evolve a more compassionate assessment of their enemies in order to be true to their religious traditions, secularists must also be more faithful to the benevolence, tolerance, and respect for humanity which characterizes modern culture at its best, and address themselves more emphatically to the fears, anxieties, and needs which so many of their fundamentalist neighbors experience but which no society can safely ignore."(less)

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10/27/07

Matthew rated it:

Read in June, 2003

This is a fascinating book, and I love Karen Armstrong's insights. It gets pretty dense in the middle, but that seems unavoidable. I feel like I'm going to have to read it over and over again to start to get my mind around a lot of the more obscure theology and to have a better appreciation of different mystical sects and movements. But I don't feel like that will be a chore at all.

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12/13/08

Chase rated it:

Read in December, 2008

From the knowledge that this book imparted, I either learned some more history of religion or reinforced what I already know; however, during my reading I noticed a couple startling points that constantly made me hesitate.

1. While talking about the ideas/opinions others had of God, she would write positive things about that religion. Given how it many parts of the book are written you cannot be sure if she is paraphrasing that particular person or stating something she believes. Afte...more

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04/14/09

Jason Herr rated it:

Read in January, 2009

If I could memorize one page of this book I would appear a genius on the subject...it's objective, informative, insightful, and brilliant! I went to Parochial (aka Orthodox Catholic) school for K-12 and I feel that this book has addressed the majority of the nagging questions I was left with after my childhood experiences. This book is exactly what I was looking for and exactly what anyone looking for a deeper understanding of humankinds 5,000+ year endeavor to find meaning in life through the...more

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02/07/09

Harun rated it:

(review of isbn 9794332917)

Read in June, 2006

Buku ini memberikan gambaran yang jelas bahwa konsep tuhan tidak begitu saja turun dari langit seperti yang diklaim oleh para fanatik agama. Konsep Tuhan berkembang menurut perkembangan peradaban manusia, agama Yahudi, Kristen dan Islam secara tak langsung memungut konsep ini sebagai media mendekatkan Tuhan "yang berbeda dengan segala mahluk - yang tak terbayangkan" kepada kehidupan nyata yang membutuhkan gambaran yang jelas tentang tuhan.

Buku ini bagus sekali untuk menepis...more

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01/20/09

Ryan rated it:

Read in February, 2009

Very dense read. The first couple of chapters, about the foundations of the three Abrahamic religions, were very interesting. However, the middle chapters of the book, on philosophy, theology, and mysticism, were very tedious and confusing. The theology parts particularly baffled me, as the author describes how theologians proclaim the ultimate mystery of an incomprehensible and absolutely transcendent God, and then proceeded to philosophize about this unknowable being and try to understand its ...more

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05/20/09

Ellen rated it:

Read in June, 2009

I stubbornly stuck with this book till the end, even though I felt overwhelmed by the information. It felt like a textbook more than a book for the general public, which is not a criticism, merely an observation. I am surprised that the book has been so popular or is it that the reviewers are scholars themselves.

I did come away with some new information. I was particularly taken with what she wrote about how people have approached the idea of God over the millenia. She also wrote a ...more

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03/19/09

Neal Tucker rated it:

Read in May, 2006

I read this book about 3 years ago, but it left an indelible impression on me. Of course, I don't remember every detail or event, every name, date, epoch, or country mentioned. What I do remember is the importance, the thematic structure, and the development of the idea that Armstrong presents here.

In Man's storied history, he has come to different ways of self-expression in his relationship with God. These modes of expression also, at times, entail a certain form of religious sen...more

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10/01/07

Ulan imut marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: looks yummy..

let me read first..

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08/12/08

John rated it:

Read in January, 2002

recommended to John by: Hearing Armstrong on the radio.
recommends it for: Anyone.

As a recovering Baptist, I grew up with a great deal of Biblical study, however this book truly broadened my understanding of the three big monotheisms, especially regarding the Common Era history of Judaism and Islam. Its been quite a while since I read it but its descriptions of the various factions in Islam and differences between Shiite and Sunni were so helpful in understanding the "clash of civilizations" we seem to see in the world today.

One criticism I have of Ar...more

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